Project Girl 2 Woman

The Ultimate Guide to Personal Development and Self-Discovery For SAHMS

Introducing Your Journey to Self-Development

Welcome to your journey of self-discovery! It’s been a while and as a new mum, I couldn’t really identify myself with self-development. So I looked into personal Development and Self-Discovery For SAHMS.

But for me to be a better mum I think it’s important to become a decent person myself. Not that I am not decent, but there are a few things I’d wish I was a better role model.

So in this guide I’d like to share how you understand yourself better, develop a proactive mindset, and align your lives with your values and strengths. Whether we’re struggling with self-esteem, wondering who we truly are, or looking to unlock our hidden potential, we’re in the right place. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding Yourself: The Foundation of Self-Discovery

Who Are You? Unpacking Your Self-Image

Your self-image is the mental picture you hold of yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and act in the world. Ask yourself:

  • What are three words I would use to describe myself?
  • Are these words positive, neutral, or negative?
  • Do you like your self-image?

Discover your self-image and how to reshape it with our in-depth guide: “Who am I? The amazing power of our Self-Image.” And closely related to your self-image are your self-beliefs.

Building Self-Esteem

Self-esteem isn’t fixed; it’s like a muscle that grows stronger with use. Take our quiz to understand where you stand, and use our practical tips to boost your confidence.

  • Resource: “Answer this Quiz honestly and we will reveal your Self-Esteem + How to boost it.”

2. Developing a Proactive Mindset

What Does It Mean to Be Proactive?

Being proactive means taking responsibility for your actions and responses. Instead of reacting to life’s challenges, proactive individuals create opportunities and plan ahead.

  • Step 1: Identify areas of life where you feel reactive.
  • Step 2: Set actionable goals to take control of those areas.

Check out our guide: “How to become Proactive – Create your ‘Proactive Personality.’”

3. Aligning Your Life with Core Values

Why Core Values Matter

Core values are your guiding principles. They influence your decisions, relationships, and happiness. Use our core values exercise to:

  1. Identify your top five core values.
  2. Evaluate if your current life aligns with these values.

4. Discovering Hidden Talents and Interests

Finding Your Talents

Sometimes, talents are hidden beneath layers of doubt or fear. Uncover yours by reflecting on:

  • Activities you enjoy but haven’t pursued.
  • Skills others frequently compliment you on.

Our article, “How to Find Your Hidden Talents & Skills + Free List of Talent Ideas,” offers actionable steps and inspiration.

Exploring New Interests

Expanding your interests can open up new growth opportunities. Download our free list of hobbies and start exploring today.

5. Overcoming Fear and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety can hold you back from reaching your potential. Practical methods to overcome these include:

  • Deep breathing exercises.
  • Journaling your fears and challenging their validity.
  • Gradual exposure to what scares you.

Dive deeper into our ultimate guide: “Methods to Overcome Fear and Anxiety.”

Your Personalized Self-Discovery Plan

Here’s how you can use this guide:

  1. Start with Self-Image: Reflect on your current self-perception and reshape it.
  2. Adopt a Proactive Mindset: Focus on areas where you can take more control.
  3. Align with Core Values: Use our exercise to ensure your daily actions match your principles.
  4. Discover New Talents: Explore hidden abilities and interests to enrich your life.
  5. Tackle Fear and Anxiety: Apply proven strategies to build resilience.

Related Posts:

By understanding yourself, adopting a proactive mindset, and aligning your life with your values, you can unlock your full potential. Start your journey today!

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My Personal Mid-Year Checkin + Free Mid-Year Review Template

Today I want to share with you exactly how I do  my first personal mid year checkin. Taking inspiration from my personal development  role models. 

 

My blog post will be filled with information and useful resources. Since you’ve been looking for a mid-year review you probably know its benefits. As a little reminder, I’ll write them down below again.

Why you should do a Mid-Year Checkin:

If you, like me, struggle with achieving your goals and kinda lose track of them in the middle of the year then a mid-year review will help you. 

  1. Reflection and Assessment: It allows you to pause and reflect on the progress you’ve made towards your goals since the beginning of the year. Are you on track or if adjustments are needed.
  2. Course Correction: If you identify areas where you haven’t made as much progress as you’d hoped, a mid-year review provides an opportunity to course correct. 
  3. Recognition of Achievements: Celebrating your successes, both big and small, boosts morale and motivation. A mid-year review lets you acknowledge and appreciate the milestones you’ve reached so far, which can energize you for the rest of the year.
  4. Alignment with Long-term Goals: It helps ensure that your daily activities and short-term goals are aligned with your broader, long-term aspirations. This alignment is crucial for maintaining focus and staying motivated throughout the year.
  5. Improved Planning and Organization: Reviewing your progress halfway through the year allows you to better plan for the remainder of the year. You can set more realistic timelines and prioritize tasks based on current insights and circumstances.
  6.  Enhanced Accountability: Holding yourself accountable during a mid-year review encourages a sense of responsibility for your goals and commitments. It helps you stay disciplined and committed to achieving what you’ve set out to accomplish.

My Personal Mid-Year Review Process

In order to create my ideal Mid Year Review I took a look at my favorite self-development role models and their mid-year checkins/ annual reviews.

1. A Gratitude List

I took inspiration from Ali Abdaals’s annual review and started with a gratitude list. In the back of my mind I always think I haven’t done enough. But seeing all the things that I have actually accomplished I can’t help feeling proud and grateful. Here are a few things I am super grateful for:

Spending quality time with my family Seeing my baby grow up Donggyu Korea Trip Etsy Products Rennovations New friends The blog Routines

As you can see since the birth of my little one business stuff has been put on the backburner. 

Still, I am immensely grateful to be able to raise him and not go to work right after giving birth.

2. Mid Year Self Evaluation - 3 Key Questions

Next I used James Clear’s 3 Key questions that he answers in his annual reviews.I used Notion to write down my insights.

  1. What went well this year?
  2. What didn’t go so well this year?
  3. What am I working toward?

1. What went well the last 6 months? 

Family: 

My little one is growing well and started walking. I have established a routine that works for us. I introduced him to a wide variety of veggies. We started potty training and it goes well. We managed to go to his Korean family once. I am super proud we handled the 12 hour flight so well. We joined two mommy-baby groups and he has been meeting a lot of other babies his age. Next half of the year I’d like to travel with him a little more. And we are surrounded by water, I want to take a baby swimming course with him. Therefore, I need to register a car.

 

Work: 

It has been hard with baby to do much of anything. Alas I have finally started to work again while he sleeps. I finally fixed our internet problem. Created 3 Etsy products and started on this blog again. For the next half of the year I want to create regular posts again and regular emails to my newsletter. 

 

Health: 

Super proud that I manage to cook healthy foods for me and my baby almost every day. I started to workout again albeit irregularly and went from 63kg to 52,5kg. I lost all my pregnancy kilogramms. My belly still bothers me a bit. For the next half of the year I want to start a regular workout routine. (Also to be a role model for my baby) 

 

Mindset: 

I am a lot less of a perfectionist. I don’t make meter-long to-do lists and take the day more chill. When I have time to work I work, if not I don’t beat myself up for it. As long as I move forward I am proud. 

 

2. What didn’t go so well: 

Admin:

I am lagging behind in all of my admin tasks. From tax declarations to simple forms to fill out. 

 

Writing:

Blogposts… I failed since I didn’t write and publish anything. I want to do it and will do it from now on. My articles will be here again. 

 

Earning Money Online: 

Also has been on the backburner. I want to be able to stay with my kids at home. I want to teach them and be by their side when they learn new things. I am proud to be a stay at home mum.  I want to give my baby the best chances. So I need to make money remotely. Would you be interested on a serious, where I try to make an income online?

3. What am I working towards? 

There are a lot of things I wish and work for in life. Here are 6 fundamental points that I want to achieve: 

 

Freedom 

I want to be financially free, and also free to be where I want to be when I want to be. I want to have the time and money to let my kids experience the world. 

 

Routines and Processes

The best way to achieve things is to have routines and processes I can fall back to. I’ve realized that once something becomes a routine it’s a lot easier to follow through. No more procrastinating. 

 

Health

I am a strong believer that health is the most important goal of all. If I had to choose money vs. health I’d always choose health. A good diet has always been something I’ve worked towards. I want to grow more of my own food. I want to do less stress-chocolate munching. (It’s one to two snacks a day at the moment) And working out… that has always been a hardship to me. It’s not immensely pleasurable for me and time with a baby is scarce. I want to at least work out 10 minutes 5 times a week. Or at least take a walk outside. 

 

Being a good parent

I think as a parent I am a teacher, a role model and a carer. It’s my responsibility to show my kids they are loved. That regardless of what happens I am there to support them. 

I also should introduce my baby to good routines. (Like eating, cleaning, playing, working out etc.)  ( My baby made me realize how much I am lacking in that department). I want my kid to go out and experience life with all his senses. To make social connections. 

 

Family

Without family, you are like a tree without strong roots. 

 

Sharing

Finally I want to share what I learned. And I want to build meaningful connections. To learn from each other as a community.

3. Re-Evaluate Of Goals and Adjustments

 1. Checking their Relevance: 

I made a lot of goals for this year. A lot are just totally unrealistic with a baby. I checked my old goal plan and updated it. Like flipping my first website… I decided to just focus on the most relevant things and scratched a lot of stuff. 


2. Set New Goals:

What are the 5 most important things you can do the next 180 days to move forward? Following Michael Hyatts quarterly review I created 5 business and 5 personal goals for the next 6 months. 

4. Action Steps

This is the last part of this years Mid Year Checkin: 

  • Break Down Goals: Divide each goal into smaller, actionable steps.
  • Prioritize Tasks: Identify which tasks are most important and prioritize them.
  • Set Deadlines: Assign deadlines to each task to stay on track.
Check our post on how to create an action plan here. 

Tools And Resources You can Use for Your Mid Year Checkin:

Free Printable Mid Year Review Template

Productivity Apps

  • Notion: A versatile tool for organizing notes, goals, and tracking progress.
  • Trello: Great for visual task management and planning.
  • Habitica: Turns habit tracking into a game, making it more engaging. 
  • Google Calendar: For scheduling check-ins and tracking deadlines.
  • Evernote: Useful for note-taking and organizing your review documents.

Youtube Videos On Mid Year Reviews

This is it for this week. Please share your mid year or annual review in the comments bellow.

😊

I’d be super happy for that! If you haven’t made goals yet make sure to check out my post on goal setting. 

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5 Best Self-Improvement Apps in 2024

Choosing the right self-improvement apps for 2023 can be amazing for starting and finishing your year well.

In this guide, I ranked and reviewed the 5 best self-development apps, along with my top 1 choice so that you can pick the best one for yourself. 

Want to get right to my top pick? My favorite self-improvement app for 2023 is Bookey. 

Bookey App Preview App Store

According to statistics by rescuetime we spend around 3 hours and 15 minutes on our phones daily. If you are among the top 20% of users you’ll even exceed 4.5 hours. 

Instead of getting lost on TikTok, why not try one of these self-improvement apps for a better life? 

Whether you want to achieve new goals, need more motivation, want to be more productive, need a way to reduce some stress and work on your mental and physical health there will be the right app for you.

This guide will help you: 

  • Find the best self-development app based on your needs
  • Show you the cost of the different apps (some are free)

Here are our top 5 picks for the best personal development app:

  • The 21 Days Challenge
  • Lumosity 
  • Self Mentor
  • BestifyMe
  • Bookey

1. The 21 Days Challenge - By Kati and Lima (Free/ Android & Ios)

If you want to start or change your habits this app is right one for you.

Screenshot: The 21 Days Challenge Self Improvement App
The 21 Days Challenge Self Improvement app Reminder of the day
The 21 Days Challenge Community Challenges Screenshot

This app is best for creating and changing your habits:

  • This app lets you create your own 21-day challenges or you can choose a premade challenge.
  • If you are a team player you can start a group challenge with friends or family. 
  • Or, after earning some points,  you can participate in a community challenge. 
  • In the feed, you can message with fellow habit learners and get some inspiration. 
  • In the app, you have the option to listen to some calming background music.
  • Last but not least you can create a reminder of the day.

Here is how to get started:

  1. You can download the app on GooglePlay or in the AppleStore . 
  2. Chose your language, user name, and gender. 
  3. There will be a little tutorial that you can skip.

Price:

Free with a few Ads

Premium:

11.99 € per year / 1.19 € per month

The premium version gives you free wallpapers.

Apple App Store Rating: 4.7 ⭐

Google Rating: 4.8 ⭐

Our Rating: 4.5 ⭐

What I Like/Dislike About The 21 Days Challenge:

Like

  • You don’t need your e-mail to sign up. <3
  • The interface is simple and clean and there are a broad variety of premade challenges. 
  • I love that you can interact with other community members in the feed.

Dislike

  • Everytime I accidentally click the feed feature an ad starts. 
  • There is no overview of all the daily tasks. You have to go into every single challenge one by one

To sum it up The 21 Days Challenge is a great app to start a new habit. The style is simple and clean and the app brings a lot of joy.

2. Lumosity by Lumos Labs Inc (Android & Ios)

Train your brain

Lumosity Screenshot Test

Ever felt your brain is getting a little rusty? In that case, lumosity is the right app for you. With many fun mini-games, you can train your brain, and improve your memory, attention span, flexibility, math skills, speed, and much more.

Key Features of Lumosity

  • Play 3 games per day in the free version. 
  • Compare yourself with other users. 
  • Check and improve your skills.

Here is how to get started:

  1. You can download the app on GooglePlay or the AppleStore.
  2. After a short introduction, you can chose the skills you’d like to improve eg.: memory, speed, math.
  3. Next you have to sign up with either your google account, facebook or your e-mail.
  4. After that the app will ask for your age and you are ready to sign up.
  5. You are asked again to fill out some information including your gender, education, job and how you learned about the app (you can skip this step if you click next).
  6. Next you’ll take a fit test. 
  7. Under games you can find the free games of the day or you can go premium and play all of the games.

Price:

3 games free per day

Premium:

59.99€ per year /  11.99€ per month

Promotion:

14-day free trial

Apple App Store Rating: 4.7 ⭐

Google Rating: 4.2 ⭐

Our Rating: 4.51 ⭐

What I Like/Dislike About Lumosity:

Like

  • The brain-training mini games are fun and engaging
  • I can see my focus improving. 
  • There is a big variety of brain-training-games 

Dislike

  • The paid version is really expensive.
  • You can’t get the statistics unless you get the paid version.
  • You need to play daily or you are set back to the beginning.

To sum it up Lumosity is a great way to train your brain. I’d go for the free version first. 3 games a day are free. The subscription is on the expensive side.

3. Self Mentor (Android)

Calm your mind and learn about yourself.

SelfMentor is an easy-to-use app that allows you to meditate, listen to calming music, and read self-development articles. It’s a simple, clean looking self improvement app.

Here are some of the key features:

  • Read articles and posts about self-improvement.
  • Get relaxed, listen to calming music and meditation videos.
  • Interact with the community through comments and reactions.

How to get started :

  1. Download the android version of SelfMentor here. 
  2. Agree to their terms of service – Done ~

Price:

Free

Premium:

One time payment 2.79€

  • No advertisement 
  • Unlimited access to all current and future features.

Like

  • The background sounds work even when I lock my phone 
  • Fair price
  • New articles on a regular basis

Dislike

  • Only available for Android
  • Still, a pretty new app so there is not a lot of content yet

Google Rating: 4.6 ⭐

Our Rating: 4.7 ⭐

4. BestifyMe (Android)

For daily challenges and a relaxing morning routine

BestifyMe Screenshot
BestifyMe Screenshot Self Improvement App

BestifyMe is similar to Self Mentor. You can read self-improvement articles and listen to calming music. In addition, it offers daily challenges and with the “Savers-program,” you can create your ideal morning routine.

Key features include:

  • Daily Challenges 
  • Articles on self-development
  • Quotes
  • A morning routine plan following the book the miracle morning (It’s part of the premium plan but you can start a free 21-day trial).

Price:

Free Version

Premium:

12 months 1.49€ per month

6 months 1.99€ per month

1 month 2.99 per month

 

Premium Features:

  • Ad-free.
  • You’ll get access to premium articles.
  • You’ll have offline access.
  • And the best premium feature you’ll get access to the “Savers Morning Routine Plan.

Like

  • I love the daily challenges. 
  • Right now the morning routine plan is free for 21 days.

Dislike

  • I’ve read there have been some payment issues. 
  • It’s also only available for Android

Google Rating: 4.3 ⭐

Our Rating: 4.0 ⭐

BestifyMe is pretty similar to Self Mentor, maybe a little more advanced. I like the challenges and the morning routine. Looking at the features and the price I’d still recommend Self Mentor over BestifyMe


You can find BestifyMe here.

5. Bookey

Start reading more

Last but not least, Bookey is the perfect app if you want to read more, but don’t have enough time to read 300-page-long novels.

Key features:

  • You can read or listen to the summaries of well-known books. 
  • Take a look at Mindmaps that describe the Key insights of the books. 
  • You can quiz yourself on what you’ve learned. 

Price:

Free Download

Premium:

46,99€ yearly 

Promotion:

  • 7-day free trial
  • Invite friends and get 20 days free premium after your friend signs up (This is our Bookey link) 😉

Like

  • I love that you can check out the app before purchasing it. Every day there is a book that you can check out for free. 
  • You also have the option to watch an ad to unlock a book. 
  • You can create a learning path on a subject that interests you. 
  • There are many options to get free premium (Like joining discussions)
  • With premium, you can download your favorite books into your library. 

Dislike

  • The summaries are at times a bit boring.

Apple Store Rating: 4.8 ⭐

Google Rating: 4.4 ⭐

Our Rating: 4.9 ⭐


Download the app for Android or Ios.

Summary

Let’s wrap it up. There are tons of interesting self improvement apps out there. Today we showed you 5 we’ve tested so far this year. 

 

We hope you’ll find a new self-improvement app within this list. 

 

Everyone has unique needs in an app. Maybe you like a low price, a simple and clean style. 

 

What did you think of this list? Are there any apps you’d like us to mention? Let us know in the comments.

What to read next on ProjectGirl2Woman?

– The 8 Best Youtube Pomodoro Timers

– 58+ Goals in Life we all have.

– Best Self-Improvement Challenges 

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